An African civil society perspective on Financing for Development

From the Uncounted blog, run by TJN’s Director of Research, Alex Cobham

The African regional consultation on Financing for Development (FfD) took place at the start of the week (like the European one). The submission from TJN-Africa puts particular emphasis on inequality, including women’s rights, and on global data issues.

Summary of CSO Recommendations to African governments

1. African countries should push for the centrality of taxation as both the most important source of financing for development needs and the key lever to fight inequality.
2. African countries should call for the establishment of a new intergovernmental body on tax matters with a clear mandate.
3. African countries should stand together to ensure that FfD process not only recognises the importance of measures to increase transparency and accountability within the private sector as it does in Article 25 of the Zero draft but also that it commits the countries to act.
4. African countries should implement the recommendations contained in the AU/UNECA high level panel (HLP) on IFF report.
5. African countries should push for the integration of women’s rights into the FfD agenda as an  important issue which has relevance for tax policy.
6. African countries should push for commitment  to the principle of redistribution via taxation and ensure the global data collection effort envisaged within the SDGs includes tracking the equity implications of tax policy
7. African countries should call for the recognition of international cooperation on tax as a key priority related to financing within the new global partnership for sustainable development.
8. African countries should make an explicit statement that MNCs paying their share of tax will be a major means of financing the SDGs.

The full document (with thanks to Savior Mwamba) can be found here.